With less than a week until Valentine’s Day, it is time to start planning. If you’re hoping to make a restaurant reservation, you probably should stop reading this article and make a few calls. When you discover that the only times available are 4:30 or 9:45, you can come back and learn how to make dessert for your at-home Valentines dinner. With a dessert such as this, ordering pizza will be forgiven.

I have to confess that this dessert is way too chocolatey for me; however, it seems incredibly romantic. Homemade truffles served with champagne sauce, the name alone screams romance. For anyone who has a valentine that adores chocolate, this is the recipe for you to master.

Gently warm the whipping cream in a heavy small saucepan until scalded. Remove from heat; let cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, stir 3 ounces of chocolate in the top of double boiler until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ounce of chocolate; stir until smooth.

Stir in cream. Let cool slightly and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.

Line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Quickly roll 1 tablespoon of ganache into a ball, being mindful not to allow your hands to warm the ganache too much (you also may want to use disposable gloves to avoid messy hands).

Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with the rest of the ganache; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

For chocolate coating

Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until just melted. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Using a fork as you would a spoon, place 1 chilled truffle in warm (not hot) melted chocolate, coat and remove quickly.

Let any excess chocolate drip back into the pan before transferring to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles, rewarming chocolate if necessary.

Roll in cocoa powder after chocolate has been allowed to set slightly.

These steps can be done 1 week ahead of time if stored in an airtight container and kept chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

For Strawberry Champagne sauce

Whisk together ingredients in a small, heavy sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and let reduce by half.